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(863) 667-7077
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Contact:
Tom Hagerty
(863)
667-7077
Dr. Cynthia Patterson,
Assistant Professor of English
LAKELAND,
FL (March 28, 2008) -
This summer Dr. Cynthia Patterson will travel to Miami, Massachusetts, New York and San Francisco. But she’s not going on vacation. And even though the trips are vital to her academic career, she’ll pay for them out of her own pocket.
Recent budget cuts across Florida’s state university system have forced scholars like Patterson, an assistant professor of English at the University of South Florida Lakeland, to choose between staying home or paying their own way to academic conferences. In higher education, attending such events is critical for professors, especially those in tenure-track positions seeking to develop a reputation in their area of scholarship.
“Even in good years there’s not enough money in the budget to cover all the travel I want to do,” Patterson says. “So I pay my own expenses and deduct them on my income tax return.”
Patterson has received invitations to present research papers this summer at four prestigious academic conferences. She also received a Jay and Deborah Last Fellowship in American Visual Culture from the American Antiquarian Society, a national research library of American history, literature and culture in Worcester, Mass.. The fellowship will provide for a one month residence in the Society's Goddard-Daniel House.
Patterson, who joined USF Lakeland in 2005, says, “One of my criteria for achieving tenure is to have a book published by a reputable academic press. Presenting a paper at a conference is an important the first step, one that might lead to publishing an article in an academic journal and ultimately to a book contract.”
The competition for tenure-track faculty positions in academia puts increasing pressure on scholars to publish new work frequently. The attention that successful publication brings to scholars and their institutions can help ensure steady progress through their field.
“Going to a conference reflects well on you and your university,” says Patterson. “I go to anywhere from three to five conferences a year because of the interdisciplinary nature of my work. I have to be at different venues to forward my research agenda, which includes elements of cultural studies and American studies.
Stacey Pouliot, president of the Student Government Association, believes faculty research enhances USF Lakeland’s academic programs.
“I feel that faculty who stay engaged in their research area are more able to bring the newest concepts related to that field to the classroom,” she says. “I see this a lot in my studies.”
This year Patterson will take part in the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, and meetings of the Organization of American Historians, the Nineteenth-Century Studies Association and the American Literature Association. Papers she will present include “Illustrated/ing Ladies: Popular Women Magazine Writers and Magazine Illustrations” and “Domesticating the Natives: The Philadelphia Pictorials of the 1840s and representations of Native Americans.” Patterson has a particular interest in artists and engravers whose work enjoyed popularity in the mid-nineteenth century but is not recognized by art historians.
Attending conferences also helps her build and maintain relationships with scholars at other universities across the country.
“For tenure review I need to have three to five reviewers outside of USF,” she says. “So it’s important for me to build a network of other scholars. There are probably no more than a dozen high-profile scholars in my area.”
When Patterson presents a paper, however, her audience is not just other scholars. Academic publishers also attend conferences and listen to the presenters.
“I hope this year a publisher will be there who will have an interest in my work. It’s important for me to know what presses publish what kind of books so I can target those who do ‘history of the book’ – art history, print culture and visual culture. Through conference exposure I try to generate interest in my work. It’s a calculated risk, but I find it fascinating and interesting.
“I’m a social creature and I really enjoy conferences. It’s important to know how to craft a paper that’ll get good exposure but also lead to something bigger -- a journal article or a book. I’ve been very successful figuring strategies necessary to be a lifetime scholar, but I have to develop a thicker skin as far as the rejection process.”
Rejection is partly a matter of supply and demand, Patterson explains. She is competing with hundreds of other scholars for limited publication opportunities.
“I’ve sent a book prospectus to nine publishers, and so far I’ve had eight rejections,” she says. “Too many people are competing for too few spots. And I’m submitting to top of the line journals and publishers. My philosophy is start at the top.”
The challenge of trying to get her first book contract is compounded by the limited time to do so.
“I have to plan for the reality of leaving USF Lakeland if I don’t get tenure by 2010. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that hard work alone will help me get ahead,” she says. “I hate the disconnect between the realities of the academic publishing market and the tenure/promotion process.”
Nevertheless, Patterson vows to stay the course she has charted for herself.
“I think USF Lakeland is the perfect place for me,” she says. “I adore my students, and I love the actual research so much I’d do it even if I didn’t have to. I’ve been blessed with intellectual curiosity all my life. I can’t stop.”
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